The present invention relates to structures for rendering needles safe for presentation and use, and, more particularly, to a device designed to facilitate encapsulation of a needle attached to a syringe, and, alternatively, to enable removal of a cap to expose the needle allowing use of the syringe.
Hypodermic syringes are widely used in response to their necessity in many medical and surgical procedures. One unfortunate aspect of such needles is that they can expose the operator to the risk of injury from the needles. Beyond an immediate and painful injury, this risk can entail infection due to fluid-borne pathogen exposure.
The risk of injury can be reduced by encapsulating the needle attached to the syringe with a removable cap. Typically, removal of the cap for use of the syringe is accomplished with relative ease and only slight risk. In contrast, replacement of the cap is more difficult and exposes the user to greater risk of injury. Further, should there be the need or desire to recap a needle during a medical procedure, the attention demanded may distract the physician or other user from the procedure at hand.
To counteract these difficulties, standards for medical procedures do require that surgical needles be discarded after a single use, thus avoiding some of the risk associated with recapping the needle. Such standards can be impractical, however, in procedures that require multiple injections. These procedures can require refilling syringes and passing them uncapped through the operating field.
One device intended to facilitate the recapping of a hypodermic needle is disclosed in a patent application published under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (International Publication No. WO 2013/016109). The device of that document takes the form of a substantially planar substrate having an opening with a plurality of flexible flaps formed about its periphery. The flaps cooperate to releasably support a needle cap inserted through the opening. To remove a cap from a capped needle and syringe, the user inserts the cap through the opening and grips it by hand on one side of the planar substrate, while withdrawing the syringe and needle with the other hand on the other side of the substrate.
To recap the syringe after use, the substrate (with the cap retained in the opening) is held in one hand while the other hand is used to align the needle with the open end of the cap. The needle is then inserted into the cap by moving the syringe toward the substrate.
The substrate device reduces the risk of inadvertent, injurious contact with the tip of a hypodermic needle. At the same time, however, needle alignment and insertion require careful attention, especially close visual tracking, as the physician or other user attempts to recap the needle by guiding the exposed needle to the opening in the substrate and the cap held thereby. Insertion of a capped needle and syringe into the substrate opening likewise requires the physician's full and direct attention. Each of these tasks optimally requires the use of both hands.